mehling-



4 SheetsSheet 1,

(No Model.)

J. A. MEHLING.

STREET GAR.

1N VENT 0R.

2 9 mm. m f; E m. d K m L W .|%l| II I! -ill a N P k a Q '3" m w l M J 8STA; 4E m m E; N

INVENTOR. 4 i

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. A. MEHL'ING.

STREET GAR.

WITNESSES.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet a.

J. A. MEHLING.

STREET GAR.

No. 481,800. Patented Aug. 30, 1892.

W b Q *E J S In, I Q

N 5 mg 2 (No Model.) 4 Sheets$heet 4.

J. A. MEI-ILING.

STREET GAR.

No. 481,800. P Patented Aug. 30, 1892. a. fi i Q QS TTI l 1D w *1 M W"4. U N in v-Q m[ l W 7* Q5 J a Q i WITNESSES. INVENIOB.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN A. MEHLING, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO S. D.DODGE, OF SAME PLACE.

STREET-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 481,800, dated August30, 1892.

Application filed April 8, 1892. Serial No. 428,271. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN A. MEHLING, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Cars; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

In order to meetthe demands of the public and to provide the comfortswhich are generally regarded as necessities by the patrons ofstreet-railways, the companies are now obliged to provide two completeequipments of carsto wit, the open cars, which are used in the summer,and the closed cars, which are used the rest of the year.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a car which mayreadily be converted from a closed car to an open car, and vice versa,whereby the cost of the equipment and maintenance of the rolling-stockof a streetrailway may be reduced in a large degree.

Another object of my invention is to provide a car into and from whichpassengers may pass in less time and with less discomfort to themselvesand their fellow-passengers than with the cars now in general use.

These are the principal objects of my invention, which consists in theconstruction and combination of parts hereinafter described, and pointedout definitely in the claims.

In the accompanying'drawings, Figures 1 and 2 are elevations of oppositesides of a street-car embodying my invention. Fig. 3 is a horizontalsection of the car in the plane indicated by line 3 3 of Fig. 1, showingthe relative arrangement of the seats, the aisle, &c. In these threefigures just described a part only of the car is shown, the rest beingsupposed to be broken away for the purpose of reducing the size of thefigures. Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the car, and Fig. 5 is aperspective view of one of the removable panels.

In all large cities the street-railways are for the most partconstructed with double tracks,

and the cars run in one direction on one track and in the oppositedirection on the other track. A car constructed as hereinafter describedis of greatest utility on roads of this character when the two tracksare connected by a loop or when a turn-table is provided at the ends ofthe line.

Referring again to the drawings, A represents the floor of the car, andB the roof.

C C represent upright posts arranged at intervals along the sides of thecar, extending from the floor to the roof and secured firmly to both,thereby supporting the roof.

E and E represent panels, which extend from the floor to the roof andare wide enough to extend from the middle line of one post to the middleof the next post. These panels are secured to the posts by bolts 0, andwhen a sufficient number of such panels are so secured to the posts theyclose the entire side of the car on which they are placed.

Either side of the car or both sides might, if desired, be constructedin the above-de- 7o scribed manner, and if both sides are so constructedall the panels may be removed, leaving nothing at the sides except theupright posts, substantially like the open cars in ordinary use. Iprefer, however, to construct only that side of the car which intraveling runs next to the other track with removable panels, as aboveexplained, for the reason that I propose to put one or more slidingdoorsD in the opposite side of the car, in order that even when the caris closed for winter use these doors may, when desired, be used by thepassengers in getting into or from the car. When this side of the car isconstructed, as shown in the drawings, with a door in every other spacebetween posts, it is, I think, unnecessary to have the intermediatepanels cl removable, because when all the doors are open on that sideand all the panels on the other side are removed the car is sufficiently0 open to give free circulation of air through it. It is, moreover,in myopinion, better that they should not be removable on this side, becausewhen permanently secured in place they brace that side of the car and bymaking it stiffer render the action of the doors more smooth andcertain.

I employ sliding doors, which are hung on suitable rollers either fromthe top or bottom, or both. These doors are arranged to slide outside ofthe stationary panels d, and each is provided with a vertical hand-railcl, which passengers riding on the foot-board I when the car is beingused open may take hold of. These doors are provided with a latch F ofany suitable construction, adapted to hold the doors closed; but Ibelieve the car will be safer if the handles for operating the latch areplaced only on the outside of the door, because thereby the conductormay, if he chooses, when the car is crowded open any of the side doorsand permit a passenger to pass through it into or from the car; butthere will be no danger of passengers in the car opening the door andstepping out before the car has stopped. A foot-board or step I extendsentirely along the outside of the car, as shown, from one platform tothe other on that side which is farthest from the other track.

111 order to make it possible to close the doors tightly, so that whenclosed very little air will be admitted at the sides, I bevel thevertical edge 1 of the door and provide on the back side of the door abeveled vertical shoulder 2. The two posts 0 0 between which the doorextends are provided with vertical edges 3 and 4, with which the beveledsurfaces 1 and 2 on the door engage.

An aisle extends the entire length of the car next to that side thereofon which the doors are placed. The seats G extend transversely from thisaisle to the other side of the car, as shown in Fig. 3. The ends of thecar are provided with doors I-I, placed at one side of the center and inline with the aisle. These doors are provided with windows h, which maybe lowered, and the ends of the car are likewise provided with windowsh, which may be removed or lowered when the car is turned into an opencar.

When a car constructed as described has its panels E secured in placeand is being used as a closed car, its seating capacity is considerablygreater than that of the closed cars of ordinary construction with seatsalong the sides. At the same time the aisle room is suflicient to permitat least as many passengers to stand comfortably in it for the reasonprincipally that it is not in part occupied by the feet of thepassengers who are sitting. \Vhen the aisle is clear, passengers canquickly get out of the car through the end doors, because they have afree passageway unobstructed by the passengers feet. If the car iscrowded, time may be saved by letting them into and oil? the car throughthe side doors.

To change the car to a substantially open car, the panels are removed,the side doors are fastened back, and the end doors and windows opened.A wire guard J of ordinary construction may be secured along that sideof the car next the other rails to prevent passengers from getting ontoor from the car on that side. In Fig. 2 a broken section of the wireguard is shown to indicate its position when secured to the car.

The removable panels E are shown in Fig. 5 to be of the followingconstruction: Upon each side of each panel are two vertical angle-ironse, secured together and to an interposed strip of wood e, having atongue 6 by rivets. Across the top and bottom are two fiat iron plates,which are riveted to the angle-irons. This makes a metallic frame, whichprevents the panels from warping during the time they are removed fromthe car. The lower part of the panels are closed on both sides bywoodwork 6 a which extends from one side of the panel to the other andis secured to the angle-irons. In the upper part of the panels are avertically-movable window K and blind L. The window and blind areseparated by the tongue 6 and the window is held in by two verticalstrips 0 which are secured to the angle-irons, and the blind is held inplace by two similar strips 8 6 secured to the other angle-irons.

Any sort of bolts 0 may be employed to fasten the panels E to the posts0; but I prefer to employ bolts having a T-head, as shown in Fig. 5. Theshank of the bolt lies in grooves in the edges of the panels. The panelsrest on the floor of the car and the T- heads of the bolts set over theedges of both panels. A vertical strip of molding G is secured to theedge of one panel, so that it overlaps the edge of the adjacent paneland hides the space between the two panels.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. A convertible open and closed streetcar having one side which iscomposed of vertical posts and removable panels, a foot-board along oneside, one or more sliding doors in the side on which the foot-board isplaced, an aisle next to said side and extending from one end to theother, and seats arr. nged transversely on the floor and extending fromthe aisle to the other side of the car, substantially as set forth.

2. In a convertible open and closed streetcar, the combination ofvertical posts arran ged along one side of the car, removable panelshaving metallic frames, and bolts for securing said panels to saidposts, substantially as set forth.

A panel for a convertible street-car having sides, which are formed oftwo vertical angle-irons and an interposed wood strip having a verticaltongue, metallic cross-pieces at top and bottom, wood facings to thelower the door, substantially as and for the purpose 10 parts of saidpanels, and a Vertically-movable specified.

window and blind adapted to close the upper In testimony whereof I affixmy signature in part of said panel and lying on opposite sides presenceof two witnesses.

of said wood strip, substantially as set forth. a

4. In a street-car, asliding door in one side, JOHN A. MEHLING. havingbeveled vertical edges, combined with Witnesses: vertical posts havinginclined vertical edges E. L. THURSTON,

adapted to engage with the vertical edges on FRANK. MILLER.

